Miss Cakeish

Ishara from Miss Cakeish is a genius. When I saw her drop-dead gorgeous creations on Instagram, I was completely sold – they’re just so beautiful! I ordered a small ‘Monet’ ($90), which serves up to 16 people, and asked for sunset colours for my belated birthday lunch. The result was stunning – topped with fresh roses, gold leaf and streaked in perfect buttercream smudges of orange, ochre, yellow and pink, it was exactly what I’d imagined. Luckily, the cake didn’t just look pretty – it tasted fabulous. With a range of cake and ganache or buttercream flavor options, I ordered the orange and almond cake, with a dark chocolate ganache. Ishara kindly allowed me to adapt the dark chocolate to add an orange flavour, which was balanced the rich bitterness perfectly. Cutting into this beauty, there were four layers of cake, each sandwiched with ganache. The cake itself reminded me of one of my favourites from childhood – madeira cake. Delicate, spongy and light, it was no hardship to eat a giant, tall slice. The cake, ganache and buttercream added up to a cake that wasn’t sickly sweet and wasn’t too heavy – in other words, utterly delightful. Highly recommended for celebrations of all sorts.

Miss Cakeish, https://www.facebook.com/miss.cakeish/

Robyn Rowe Chocolates

As part of the Weekend Bliss package for the Summerside Festival, we had lunch at Four Winds Vineyard before heading on to Robyn Rowe chocolates for dessert. The $36 package included a hot chocolate (your choice between milk or dark) and one of six desserts, all with a chocolate theme. I picked the ‘chocolate cup’, with a chocolate cup filled with chocolate and vanilla icecream, plus a chocolate spoon and a choice of any two truffles. I was delighted by the chocolate butterfly perched on top of the icecream; both icecream flavours were luscious and creamy and perfect for a hot day. I particularly enjoyed the chocolate flavour, which had great depth and was very moreish. I chose the milk hot chocolate and dissolved my chocolate spoon inside – mmm, so much chocolately goodness! The truffles were a real highlight – I picked the Clonakilla muscat and the orange cream truffles. Both were beautifully tasty, the muscat sweet and rich, the orange light and fluffy. Although I still had order envy over the cassata my friend chose (next time). Robyn was very welcoming, talking us through everything and explaining that the store hosts local art exhibitions (how lovely!) – we left in happy food comas all.

Robyn Rowe Chocolates, 1153 Nanima Road, Murrumbateman NSW, http://www.robynrowechocolates.com.au/

Ben & Jerry’s

I recently tried Ben & Jerry’s tub-sized icecream and loved it, so was really excited to stop by their Woden ‘Scoop Shop’ to test out some of their other flavours. The store is part of the Hoyts cinema, and has quite a wide range of flavours, including sorbets! I ordered a single scoop in a cup ($5.50), but was allowed to go half-half with flavours. I picked the Berry Berry Extraordinary sorbet (raspberry and blueberry) and a decadent chocolate flavour called Phish Food, which said it had marshmellow and chocolate fish inside. Curious. The sorbet flavour really reminded me of a Boost Juice berry crush, just with a more solid texture. It was really refreshing, but a bit icy and not quite as smooth as I would have expected. The Phish Food flavour was to die for. The chocolate was so lush and creamy, and whilst I couldn’t pick the marshmellow, the bits of chocolate shaped as fish were good quality and tasty. I ended up blending the two flavours (highly recommended) to get a yummy berry-chocolate mix. Great portion size for the price too. Definitely a new favourite.

Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop, Hoyts Westfield Woden, Bradley Street, Phillip ACT  http://www.benandjerry.com.au/scoop-shops

Steven Ter Horst

Adelaide has some fabulous independent chocolate stores, and Steven Ter Horst is one of the best. Craving something sweet after brunch, a friend and I dropped in to eye off the cakes on display. I was sorely tempted by the salted caramel tart, but seeing that they offered a ‘fruit de bois’ hot chocolate with strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, I was sold. They kindly made the mix dairy-free for me, using coconut milk and soy instead of milk. There was a short wait, but we sat comfortably at the large centre table, which was strewn with South Australian magazines. My mug came out and I was surprised at how thick the mix was – I adore true Italian hot chocolates and this was beautifully thick, apparently due to the berries. I ate it mostly with a spoon, to make sure I didn’t miss any. The dairy-free option in no way detracted from the flavour of the chocolate, which is an uncommon quality and reflects the care and talent that goes into their craft. The chocolate was rich, not sickly sweet, and given a delicate tartness from the berries. Well worth a visit.

Steven Ter Horst, 256 Rundle Street, Adelaide SA       http://www.steventerhorst.com.au/

Bracegirdles

All throughout my university days and even now when I visit Adelaide, Bracegirdles is my go-to for a decadent treat. Their chocolate is my absolute favourite when it comes to boutique chocolatiers across Australia, and I think it’s at its best in molten form. I don’t think I’ve ever ordered anything at Bracegirdles apart from their chocolate fondue – they offer a range of sizes with different accompaniments, but the ultimate for me is the fondue for four with fruit, shared with friends. You have a choice of milk or dark chocolate for your fondue. After ordering at the counter and admiring the range of truffles, there’s a cozy upstairs space with armchairs which is lovely in winter, or the balcony overlooking Jetty Road for people watching in summer. The plate arrives with banana, strawberry, orange and pineapple, all fresh and sweet. They do offer a lolly version for those with a really sweet tooth, but I found it a bit too much, as their chocolate is very sweet. One of the best things about Bracegirdles is that they sell their chocolate buttons for DIY fondue, so interstate visitors can recreate the magic at home. Love it.

Bracegirdles, 31 Jetty Road, Glenelg SA                http://www.bracegirdles.com.au/

Hideout

Walking back from a meeting, my colleague suggested popping in to Hideout for a coffee. It was a glorious warm afternoon and not being in any hurry to get back to the office, I agreed. Hideout wasn’t high on my ‘to visit’ list – they don’t have a large food offering, so it really is all about the coffee, which I don’t drink – but on this day I was more than happy to go along. The staff were very friendly and the service was impressive – we ordered at the counter (flat white for my colleague, soy hot chocolate for me), and our drinks came to the table in the blink of an eye. We took a seat next to the impressive bookshelf wall full of second-hand volumes, and when it arrived my hot chocolate was impressively tasty, with a lovely rich froth on the top. There are very few places in Canberra that can make soy taste good (experiences have ranged from ‘can’t taste any chocolate’ to ‘tastes like cardboard’), but for Canberra Hideout does well. It also came with two marshmellows, which was a nice bonus. The verdict? Cozy, tasty and inviting.  Hideout is aptly named.

Hideout, 6 National Circuit, Barton ACT                         http://www.hideoutcoffee.com.au